God then commanded
Abram
to leave Haran.
"Abram, ðu fare ut of lond and kin
To a lond ic ðe ſal bringen hin."
Sex ger and fiftene mo,
Adde Abram on iſ elde ðo. 740
He departed,
taking with him
Lot and Sarai.
Abram tok loth wið ſarray,
Hiſe agte, and erue he ledde hi_m_ bi,
For in to lond cananeam,
First he came to
Sichem,
And i_n_-to ſichem, a burgt, he nam, 744
And ðeðen he nam to mirie dale;
fif burgeſ were ðor-inne bi tale,
and afterwards
to Pentapolis (the
five cities of the
plain),
ðer-fore it higte pentapolis,
Of weledeſ[123] fulſum and of bliſ, 748
Nov iſt a water of loðlic ble,
where now stands
the Dead Sea.
Men callið it ðe dede ſe;
Ilc ðing deieð ðor-inne iſ driuen;
Ne may no fiſ ðor-inne liuen; 752
The cities were
destroyed for
man's sin.
for mannes ſinne ðus it iſ went,
brent wið brimfir, ſunken and ſhent.
God q_u_ad to abra_m_, "al ðiſ lond
ſal cumen i_n_ to iſ kinneſ hond." 756
[Fol. 15b.]
ðor god him taunede, made hab_ra_m
An alter, and fro ðeðen he nam.
Abram raised an
altar between
Bethel and Ai.
An oðer alter abram ſeli
Made bi-twen betel and ai. 760
Damascus was
the third place
where Abram
dwelt.
At damaſke iſ ðe ðridde ſtede,
Quer abram iſ bigging dede,
And ðeden for he, for hunger bond,
Famine drove
him to Egypt.
feger ut in to egipte lond; 764
ðor he ſeide ðat ſarrai
To save his life
he said that Sarai
was his sister.
waſ hiſ ſiſter, al for-ði
for he dredde him to leten iſ lif
If he wiſten ghe wore iſ wif; 768
Sarai was fair
and Egypt's folk
were lecherous.
for ghe waſ fai[ge]r witter-like,
And ðat folc luuede lecherlike.
Quan ab_ra_m was to egipte cumen,
[123] werldes?